# Pawnbarian vs Packed!?

The clearest difference is update cadence: Packed!? at every 9 days against Pawnbarian's every 6 weeks. Pawnbarian's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 64%) and ratings volume (354 vs 52). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pawnbarian sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Packed!? sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Packed!? holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pawnbarian has 354 ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Pawnbarian's written reviews are positive against 64% of Packed!?'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Pawnbarian ships an update every 6 weeks, Packed!? every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pawnbarian | Packed!? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (354 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pawnbarian/id1510583444/reviews) | **[4.4 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packed/id6452588722/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **354** | 52 |
| Positive reviews | **83.0% of reviews** | 64.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 116 MB | 358 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jan Wojtecki](https://appshunter.io/developer/1510583443) | [Shortbread Games Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688284288) |

## What reviewers say

### Pawnbarian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pawnbarian/id1510583444)

Engage in a turn-based puzzle roguelike inspired by chess. Use a deck of chess pieces to battle monsters on a small dungeon board, strategically outmaneuvering enemies. Enjoy quick, challenging sessions with emergent tactical situations and character progression.

**Highlights:** Deck of chess pieces for combat, Chess mechanics for gameplay, Turn-based tactical situations, Card upgrades with treasure, Quick 15-30 minute runs, Infinite post-run Gauntlet, Multiple characters and dungeons

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great concept
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Unique chess-like mechanics
- 🎨 Excellent art style
- 🔊 Impressive sound design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall for full game
- 🕹️ Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Inconsistent enemy behavior
- 🕰️ Limited content in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Unexpected attacks during player turns
- Glitches with Apple Pencil input

**Requested features**

- More levels and dungeons
- Additional character classes
- Difficulty settings
- Achievements/progression system
- Controller support


### Packed!?

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packed/id6452588722)

Guide two characters through increasingly challenging box-pushing puzzles to escape a depot. Solve each level with minimal moves and time, utilizing unique mechanics introduced in each world. The game features simple, visual-only controls and 120 handcrafted levels.

**Highlights:** 120 challenging puzzle levels, Move count and time-based rating system, Unique mechanics per world, Simple, visual-only controls, No in-game text

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| 15 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full Game | $2.99 | one-time |
| 30 Hints | $2.99 | one-time |
| 50 Hints | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100 Hints | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pawnbarian free?

Pawnbarian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Packed!? free?

Packed!? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pawnbarian or Packed!??

Packed!? is rated higher. Pawnbarian averages 4.2 out of 5 from 354 ratings, while Packed!? averages 4.4 from 52 ratings.

### Do Pawnbarian or Packed!? have ads?

Neither Pawnbarian nor Packed!? shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pawnbarian or Packed!??

Pawnbarian ships an update every 6 weeks, and Packed!? every 9 days. Most recently, Pawnbarian was updated on September 8, 2026 and Packed!? on July 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*